That places Davis 6th among state schools, following Berkeley, UCLA, Michigan, North Carolina and Virginia.

For many families of athletes rankings are important. In many sports the athletes that are being recruited and brought on campus are 15 or 16 year olds or even younger. Folks tend to lean into rankings as they are quick and easy. In the Big West some of the rankings that are out there have us behind every UC in the Big West--UCSB, UCI and UCSD. If you talk to many CA high school students and their families they would put us behind those other schools. I take rankings with a grain of salt but this is good news for UCD's ICA sports.

To a large degree a UC is a UC. You have to get down to major departments to distinguish between them. Davis was historically harder to get into than UCI and UCSB, and easier the UCSD. The only way UCD is behind all those schools is if you rate the smell of salt water highly as one of your criteria. Some of the UC campuses are nice, but isolated from town. If you walk out the front gate of the campus, what’s there?

Riveraggie', Coaches need to get to the recruits, and rankings help. Higher rankings help with the screening process that the families use. UCD is not sexy and usually it is an up-hill battle when recruited are looking at the UC's. Just a quick search today for 22-23. My point is that we are not in the top 3rd. Better rankings will help in the screening process for the ICA programs.
UC Ranked US News Global Ranking T.H.E. World Rankings
UC Berkeley 1 4 8
UC Los Angeles 2 14 21
UC San Diego 3 20 32
UC Santa Barbara 4 67 64
UC Davis 5 73 63
UC Irvine 6 84 95
UC Santa Cruz 7 105 192
UC Riverside 8 186 251-300
UC Merced 9 673 301-350

Isn't this an OT topic?

Now Davis according to the article linked at top of the thread should be tied for third along with UC San Diego, which is where they belong. Unless Berkeley and UCLA implode Davis is never going to rank above those two.

Wow! Look at that! UC Merced is at #60!

WSJ took a completely different approach in their rankings this year and other than the ivys, the prestigious public’s dropped way and I mean way down. As I recall the basic criteria was how much the earning power increased after graduation - must of been previous cohorts demographics or something and I think included debt to pay off in that assessment.

I liked that US News Reports eliminated the "alumni giving" and "class size" criteria, since I always thought those two criteria were ridiculous in my eyes.

It would really suck if UCD lost a football recruit to UCSB or UCI lol.

Football isn't too impacted because the Ags aren't competing with Cal or UCLA for athletes.
Fresno, SDSU, and SJSU are FBS so athletes who want to play at a higher level will want to compete there and if they really care more about a UC education, Davis could offer them to stay home. Nevada is bad but they are also semi-local so they do recruit our area pretty hard. See Collin K at Turlock a decade ago. But usually these athletes go to a MW or previously a lower end Pac 12 school like WSU/OSU/UA/previously CU.

For FCS, the Ags are the only UC. CP is a peer and probably has a similar recruit profile. Sac State is the hot team right now but I bet you the serious parents in the Sac and Bay region would value a UC education over CSUS. That said, Sac has lower standards so they can get higher ranked guys or those who transfered down. So they do have an edge that makes up for UC Davis having a better reputation. The other Big Sky teams have a recruiting base in CA also. I mean CA is on the decline as a football hotbed but it's still a more talented state than any other in the Big Sky footprint.

San Diego is non schollie and at that point, I'd probably choose one of the other FCS three over San Diego unless you were from Socal and didn't want to leave home.

For olympic sports, the competition is tougher. UC Davis is on an island in Norcal with all other teams several hours away or across an ocean. Most of the recruits are likely based in LA/OC/SD and all of those teams are closer and in the same conference.

CP for non football: You've got a very nice campus closer to the ocean and an academic peer of Davis. If you like technical learning, it's a good place to be. Soccer is much better for both men and women.

UCSB is a beautiful campus right next to the ocean. I helped my brother move in there the fall after I graduated. His transfer dorm had an ocean view from his room! UCSB is good school but has that party rep the students might enjoy. They are reasonably sporty (not quite as much as the Ags or Poly but more than say Northridge). Soccer is king.

Long Beach has been a midmajorish program over the last 20 years, making the tournament a few times. They are great at baseball and great at getting socal players in all sports esp from Long Beach Poly.
CSUN is kind of the odd school out but if you lived in the San Fernando Valley as an athlete, you could stay home and play. That matters a lot to some players esp if their parents can't travel. Same as anywhere else but there's a lot of people nearby. I considered transferring there from the Bay simply because my late grandparents lived really close.

Fullerton Baseball has been elite for decades now even as the BW fades in baseball and softball compared to the past. They have made the tournament and played well. Orange County is a gold mine for baseball and softball players or any "suburban" sport like tennis or water polo.

UC Irvine offers everything Fullerton does plus the UC education. They were my #1 school before I didn't pass a math class by a fall semester. UC Davis still conditionally admitted me oddly enough. UC Irvine is in a safe neighborhood, close to home for karen or soccer mom and her kids. Baseball has been good and lately basketball.

UC San Diego was a great add, but they are now considered the #3 school in the UC system. 20 years ago Davis was sort of the #3 fin prestige for Norcal and UC San Diego was the #3 for Socal. UC San Diego is very stem oriented, so those parents whose kid is good enough to play DI but not enough to go pro or play in an olympic only sport like tennis, will want their kids to go to the place with the best reputation. I personally did not like UC San Diego when I visited, the one day it rained in SD. It feels like a biotech park in Silicon Valley but that's part of the appeal I guess.

The only school in the BW that I can say we're obviously better at is Bakersfield. I mean, Bakersfield is closer to home in Socal than Davis is but given that there are so many teams in Socal, it may matter less than we think. If teams play in socal every other week or so. Bakersfield is a smaller market. I imagine most probably would prefer to go to Fresno State but Fresno and the MW is a higher league than the BW in basketball. Can anyone think of another reason a recruit would choose Bake over us in any of the sports?

Hawaii - Needs no explanation for an 18 year old esp for volleyball players. Sure the travel sucks but if you live in Socal you'll be playing at home often and if not then you're in Hawaii!

I don't think I'm forgetting anyone in the BW. I also think for basketball, a mi major recruit will choose the WCC over the BW. Not sure about the other sports. Baseball and softball are good but so is the BW.

Bakersfield has lights for baseball. Lol

In the D-II days Bakersfield basketball was an all-star team of D-I wash-outs who either weren't skilled enough or good enough students to go anywhere else. In other words there wasn't much to differentiate it from Bakersfield junior college.

I never witnessed men's bball beat them. Have a very vivid memory of the Aggies frittering away a late lead and a blocked 3-point attempt by Brandon Laird at the buzzer

Thank you. Yes, that's a good reason. Or when they made the playoffs for for baseball at the end of their time in the WAC.

They have a tiny little ballpark though. How they get Ohio State to come play a series in Bakersfield is baffling.

LOL, yep that would be bad. Just saying that we are now tied for 3rd among the UCs.